On Friday, August 2nd, 2013 a Pinal County Sheriff’s Office deputy was traveling westbound on Interstate-10 near mile marker 203. In front of the deputies vehicle was a 1999 GMC Yukon. The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle on a traffic stop after he had observed several traffic violations.

The driver of the vehicle accelerated and failed to stop. A vehicle pursuit was initiated. A short time later the vehicle exited I-10 and then re-entered I-10. The vehicle sped up and was traveling at speeds of between 105 and 110 miles per hour. As the driver was traveling westbound he threw his cell phone out the driver’s side window.

A short distance later the vehicle suddenly pulled over and stopped. A high risk stop was conducted and the driver was taken into custody. He was later identified as Martin Bustamante (age 23 of Mexico). Martin admitted he was inside of the United States illegally.

Martin Bustamante was booked into the Pinal County Adult Detention Center for Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Marijuana for Sale, Transportation of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Unlawful Flight from Law Enforcement.

Sheriff Paul Babeu stated, “Deputies discovered 12 packaged bundles of marijuana in the rear compartment of the vehicle. The marijuana weighed a total of 325 pounds with an estimated street value of $260,000. The marijuana and vehicle were seized and we’ll auction the car and give the cash to local youth sports and crime victim shelters. Cases like this continue to show how unsecured our southern border truly is. We need to secure our southern border before we start to talk about giving amnesty to 12 to 20 million people who have already entered America illegally.”